Recipe for cooking chicken and red chili tamales

Low-Fat and Low-Calorie Recipes :: Poultry Recipes

Chicken and Red Chili Tamales

Source: WW Entertains with the Chefs from The Culinary Institute of America

1/2 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-in. pieces
1 sm. onion, peeled and left whole
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. salt, divided
1 tsp. canola oil
1 sm. onion, chopped
1 dried ancho chile, stemmed and seeded
1 C. water
1 plum tomato, chopped
1 Tbsp. raisins
1 Tbsp. sliced almonds, toasted
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 whole cloves
About 20 dried corn husks
3/4 C. Masa Harina
1 Tbsp. vegetable shortening

To prepare the filling: Mix together the chicken, the whole onion, 1 of the garlic cloves, 1/2 tsp. of the salt, and enough water to barely cover the chicken in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 min.

Discard the onion. With a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a plate. Reserve the broth and set aside. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, thinly slice or shred, moisten with a little of the reserved broth and set aside.

Heat a lrg. nonstick saucepan over med.-high heat. Swirl in the oil, then add the chopped onion. Cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 10 min.

Add the remaining garlic cloves and the chile; cook until the garlic is golden and the chile is toasted, about 3 min. Add the water, tomato, raisins, almonds, cinnamon, cloves and 1/4 tsp. of the salt; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the flavors are blended, about 15 min. Discard the cloves.

Puree the mixture in batches in a food processor or blender; return to the saucepan and add the chicken. Simmer over med. heat until the sauce thickens, about 5 min. Mix together the corn husks and enough hot water to cover in a lrg. bowl. Soak, turning occasionally, until pliable, about 30 min.

Meanwhile, to prepare the masa dough, with an electric mixer at med. speed, beat the Masa Harina, shortening and the remaining 1/4 tsp. salt until mixture comes together. Add three-qt.ers of the reserved broth; beat on low speed until light and spongy, about 5 min. Cover and refrigerate the dough about 20 min.

Drain and rinse the corn husks; keep covered with a damp towel. Cut 2 or 3 of the husks lengthwise into sixteen (1/4-in. wide) strips, set aside.

Flatten a corn husk on a work surface; spread 2 Tbsp. dough over the husk, leaving a 1-in. margin on all sides. Spoon 1 1/2 Tbsp. filling on top of the dough. Roll up lengthwise into a cylinder; secure each end by tying with a strip of husk. Repeat with the remaining husks, dough and filling, making a total of 16 tamales.

Place tamales in a steamer basket; set in a saucepan over 1 in. of boiling water. Cover tightly; reduce the heat to low and steam until very hot, about 45 min.

Makes approximately 8 servings.

Nutrition information per servings (2 tamales): 120 cal., 4 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 15 mg cholesterol, 320 mg sodium, 13 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 9 g protein